Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Mikuriya

Hitoshi Mikuriya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7119517
    Abstract: A method features the steps of determining whether a secondary battery collected from a user is reusable when being handed over again to the user after being recharged, by performing a simple inspection on a site where the battery is received and returned to the user. The battery is transferred to another site for additional detailed inspection to further examine whether the battery is reusable when the determination is such that quality up to the specified capacity is not assured if the battery is given back for further usage to the user only after recharging it. The processes described in the above method can ensure the user that the battery has a reusable quality to the specified capacity, while the battery can be given back quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Mikuriya, Kenichi Aoki
  • Patent number: 7074455
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electrode for an alkaline storage battery, including a process of manufacturing a porous metal plate. A method of manufacturing this porous metal plate includes adding a predetermined organic substance to a urethane sponge or coating a foamed urethane sponge with polyethylene terephthalate. Furthermore, the method includes grinding the urethane sponge or rolling the urethane sponge using a roll press.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gota Asano, Hitoshi Mikuriya, Kiyoto Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6857171
    Abstract: The method for producing plates for batteries according to the present invention comprises: allowing X-rays to penetrate through a supplied core material, thereby calculating the weight of the core material; filling the core material with an active material; then again allowing X-rays to penetrate through the core material, thereby calculating the weight of the filled active material and the core material; calculating the weight of the active material based on the difference in these weights measured; if this weight of the filled active material deviates from a given weight, adjusting the amount of the active material to be filled in the core material, thereby inhibiting variation in the amount of the filled active material; and then drying the core material filled with the active material to make an electrode plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Kawaguchi, Hitoshi Mikuriya, Yoshinori Itou, Hiromasa Nishijima
  • Publication number: 20040174136
    Abstract: The battery package of the present invention has at least one battery and a battery holding part, and this battery holding part has openings or opening formation portions provided at the positions corresponding to the positions of terminals of positive and negative electrodes. According to the present invention, characteristics of the batteries held in the battery package can be measured without opening the battery package, and hence the batteries can be supplied for consumers in the better state. Furthermore, waste of resources can be avoided, resulting in contribution to protection of environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Inventors: Hitoshi Mikuriya, Kenichi Aoki, Kiyoto Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20040113588
    Abstract: A method featuring the steps of determining a secondary battery collected from a user as to whether it is reusable when being handed over again to the user after recharged, by performing a simple inspection on a site where the battery is received and returned to the user, and transferring the battery to another site for additional detailed inspection to further examine whether the battery is reusable when the determination is such that quality up to the specified capacity is not assured if the battery is given back for further usage to the user only after recharging it. The processes described in the above method can ensure the user that it has a reusable quality to the specified capacity, while the battery can be given back quickly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventors: Hitoshi Mikuriya, Kenichi Aoki
  • Publication number: 20040060156
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electrode for alkaline storage battery including a process of manufacturing a porous metal plate. A method of manufacturing this porous metal plate includes a step of adding a predetermined organic substance to urethane sponge or a step of coating foamed urethane sponge with polyethylene terephthalate. Furthermore, the method includes a step of grinding the urethane sponge or rolling the urethane sponge using a roll press.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: Gota Asano, Hitoshi Mikuriya, Kiyoto Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20030024106
    Abstract: The method for producing plates for batteries according to the present invention comprises: allowing X-rays to penetrate through a supplied core material, thereby calculating the weight of the core material; filling the core material with an active material; then again allowing X-rays to penetrate through the core material, thereby calculating the weight of the filled active material and the core material; calculating the weight of the active material based on the difference in these weights measured; if this weight of the filled active material deviates from a given weight, adjusting the amount of the active material to be filled in the core material, thereby inhibiting variation in the amount of the filled active material; and then drying the core material filled with the active material to make an electrode plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Kawaguchi, Hitoshi Mikuriya, Yoshinori Itou, Hiromasa Nishijima
  • Patent number: 5981108
    Abstract: An electrode for a battery with small variations in the discharge capacity and excellent reliability is disclosed. It comprises a sheet of porous metal substrate having three-dimensional communicating spaces for containing an active material. The substrate has a layer filled with the active material and occupying most of the thickness of the electrode, and a layer of current collector composed of a metallic foil which is not filled with active material and has reduced porosity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Matsumura, Kuninori Omura, Chikara Kasai, Sadaaki Yokoh, Hitoshi Mikuriya
  • Patent number: 5721073
    Abstract: An electrode for a battery with small dispersion in its discharge capacity and excellent reliability is disclosed. It comprises a sheet of porous metal substrate having three-dimensional communicating spaces, and an active material. The substrate has a higher porosity layer occupying most part of the spaces connected to the first principal face and a lower porosity layer occupying the remaining part of the spaces connected to the second principal face; the lower porosity layer has a sufficiently smaller thickness than the higher porosity layer; and the active material is filled substantially in the higher porosity layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Matumura, Kuninori Omura, Chikara Kasai, Sadaaki Yokoh, Hitoshi Mikuriya
  • Patent number: 5637416
    Abstract: A cylindrical battery having a high utilization rate and a high discharge capacity rate is disclosed. It has an electrode group configured by rolling up two sheet electrodes of opposite polarity in spiral fashion interposing a separator therebetween, wherein one of the electrodes is provided with a porous metal substrate having a higher porosity layer and a lower porosity layer which has a considerably smaller thickness than that of the higher porosity layer, and an active material filled substantially in the spaces of the higher porosity layer of the porous metal substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fumihiko Yoshii, Hitoshi Mikuriya, Kaoru Okinaga, Katsuhiro Okamoto, Masaru Watanabe
  • Patent number: D388051
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichi Harada, Noriko Himeda, Chikara Kasai, Hitoshi Mikuriya